Coal Action Road Signs on Point Cook Road

From 6.30 am until 9.30am on Wednesday 14 June 2012, motorists in Point Cook Road were treated to a number of signs informing them about the threat of coal mining in the Wyndham municipality.

“The signs gave motorists stuck in the traffic something to think about while they tried to get to work” said local activist Paul Harder.

“Now that they’ve decided to replace the green wedge with more houses the traffic will deteriorate further” he said.

“The Traffic situation will only get worse if we allow the coal mining to begin in the Wyndham area” according to Harry van Moorst from the Western Region Environment Centre.

“In the US they found that more than 1,000 truck trips are required for every Coal Seam Gas mining well. According to Regal Resources they will construct 200 mining wells in Balliang and this may require more than 200,000 extra truck trips on our roads in Melbourne’s West” van Moorst said.

The Western Region Environment Centre has warned Wyndham City Council about the coal mining threat, pointing out that the Baillieu Government is promoting the brown coal export industry in Victoria and two mining companies have already invested more than $4 million in exploration and pilot plants in this region.

The Western Region Environment Centre today released a Traffic Impacts Of Coal Mining Fact Sheet, outlining the traffic implications of a coal mining industry in the region. They are also preparing a Fact Sheet outlining the health risks for families in the region.

“We have until September to convince the Government and the regulators not to renew the mining company’s license, after that it will be increasingly difficult to stop them implementing their mining plans”.

“Only fools would put their heads in the sand when the companies and the government have made their intentions abundantly clear” van Moorst said.

The Western Region Environment Centre intends further actions over the next few weeks to let residents know the threat to the community from the coal mining activities in the region.